Have you ever seen a corgi play basketball before? Watch out Air Bud, because Lilo the corgi is coming for you! Her owner Denny says they first discovered Lilo’s talent during his wife’s birthday party.
“There were balloons all over the ground and Lilo would chase them up into the air until they popped,” Denny said. “One time, she actually hit a balloon into a basket, and we all looked around and were like, ‘Did anyone get that on camera?!’”
Since then, Lilo’s been steadily practicing and learning new tricks. The adorable corgi has become famous on platforms like TikTok, where she’s amassed over 125k followers! She’s even been featured on our Facebook page. Her audience loves watching her amazing talent for basketball and can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.
Meet Lilo
The Pembroke Welsh Corgi got her name from the move of the same name. Denny and his wife decided to name her Lilo “because of her strong alpha personality.” She certainly seems to love taking charge and showing everyone who’s boss!
Denny says Lilo scored her first basket in June of last year, and they’ve been doing trick shots ever since. His favorite memory of her so far is from early on in their journey trying to make baskets.
“I got off work, and I went into my living room, and there Lilo was laying next to the basket,” Denny says. “I was like, ‘Oh, that’s interesting!’ So I went and picked up the basket, and I picked up the ball, and Lilo immediately jumped on this couch and she was ready to play.”
He says from that moment on, he realized that Lilo enjoyed shooting baskets as much as he enjoyed watching her! She truly seems to love doing trick shots, and catches onto new tricks quickly. Corgis are known for being highly intelligent, receptive dogs, so this isn’t surprising. However, not too many corgis can play basketball, so this makes her one-of-a-kind.
How Denny comes up with trick shot ideas for his corgi
“Coming up with a trick shot can be very challenging, as most of it is just us throwing things at the wall and seeing what sticks,” Denny said. “More often than not, as you can tell by my reactions, I don’t really expect most of them to go in.”
Lilo is no quitter though, and keeps at it until she masters the shots. It’s a great workout for Denny as well!
“Lilo keeps surprising all of us whenever she keeps trying, and she keeps wanting to play and keeps hitting the ball. Whenever we do stair shots, I’m usually drenched in sweat from having to go and get this ball,” Denny says.
His wife even made a joke that their roles have reversed now since Denny fetches the balls when Lilo throws them! Denny jokingly says that was a tough realization, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. Lilo seemed to catch onto the tricks pretty quickly, but this is typical behavior of the bright, active breed.
“Training a dog to do these kinds of tricks – they may look hard or impossible – but honestly, dogs are extremely smart creatures.”
Denny went on to say that you just need some time, patience, and a whole lot of chicken jerky. This is good advice if you ever want to teach your dog some new tricks! Make sure to have lots of treats and meat snacks handy.
He says they taught her to do trick shots after she made her first basket with the balloon. They used that same motion to teach her the command “hit” when they threw her the ball. Lilo is one smart girl! They use a mini basketball goal as well as a little cloth basket for her tricks.
She’s learned many types of tricks so far, including “the Kobe,” where she spins around before hitting the ball. She also can bounce it off a wall or backboard, or just hit it straight from her nose into the goal. Lilo has even made a shot from the second story of their house when Denny put the goal on the first floor! One time, Denny threw the ball behind him where Lilo was standing, and she hit the ball over him into the basket!
Denny says he hopes they can keep providing new content and trick shots to bring more joy into our lives. We hope they do too! Lilo probably has tons more tricks up her sleeves.
A little bit about Welsh corgis
As we said, corgis are extremely bright, lively, active dogs who love to play. They make wonderful family pets, as they are affectionate, but not overly needy. They continue to rank as one of the top herding breeds in the world. Corgis are also known for being strong, athletic “alpha” dogs who love showing off their skills.
It’s no wonder Lilo has a natural talent for basketball – it’s in her genes! If you want a corgi, make sure you have plenty of extra energy to keep up with these dogs. They love to play and interact with their owners, so they do best with high-energy people. Perhaps you could even teach your dog basketball or some other sport, as Denny did with Lilo!
Final thoughts: this adorable corgi will knock your socks off with her amazing tricks
Lilo is no ordinary dog – in fact, she’s well on her way to the NBA! Her trick shots have made her famous all over the world, and Denny hopes to continue making videos. She’s certainly come a long way from her first basket trick with the balloons!
If you’d like to know more about Lilo, you can visit her website here. Also, Denny has cute accessories like phone cases, tote bags and stickers you can buy to support their efforts. On their site, he says if you have any ideas for trick shots, send it to him and you’ll get a shoutout plus free merch!
